Point-of-care ultrasound use has expanded in many fields of medicine, particularly emergency medicine, for the past two decades and more recently in pediatrics for the last decade as more compact, portable, and relatively inexpensive ultrasound machines have come to market. Given the endless range of diagnostic problems clinicians encounter in the emergency department, a wide variety of ultrasound probes may be needed depending on the diagnostic problem. These include transvaginal/intracavitary probes for the evaluation of vaginal bleeding and suspected ectopic pregnancy; phased array cardiac probes for the evaluation of pericardial effusion, left ventricular function, and cardiac arrest; curved abdominal probes for the evaluation of intraperitoneal bleeding from trauma, abdominal aortic aneurysms, or acute cholecystitis; linear transducers for soft tissue/musculoskeletal disorders, and procedural guidance, such as central line placement; and tightly curved array microconvex probes for pediatric/neonatal applications, regional nerve blocks, and other procedures.
The maximum number of ultrasound probes that can be connected to console-type or cart-based ultrasound machines currently on the market is three. This poses problems for clinicians who may switch among more than three different probes depending on the diagnostic problem or ultrasound guided procedure needed to be performed. Newer handheld ultrasound machines are marketed with a single non-detachable probe (often a phased array probe commonly used for cardiac imaging), which also limits functionality of these types of ultrasound machines. Furthermore, in environments such as emergency departments and intensive care units where space and storage are often in short supply, extra probes not connected to an ultrasound machine may be lost or stolen.
The present invention is directed to overcoming these and other deficiencies in the art.